Sunday, January 28, 2018

(AJABU AFRICAN NEWS, JAN, 26, 2018) LOWELL, Mass.__Professor PLO Lumumba, a popular Kenyan lawyer, who shot to even more limelight recently when he animated proceedings at Kenya Supreme court while defending the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC)---during the reelection battle between president Uhuru Kenyatta of the Jubilee coalition and Raila Odinga of the Opposition's NASA coalition---is set to arrive in Boston this week where he will receive an award for his works that have caused ripples in many corners of the African continent.

Lumumba, who just recently stepped down as the director of the Kenya School of Law to pursue other interests and pave way for fresh leadership will receive the Africa Luminary Award conferred by the African Cultural Association, organizers of the wildly popular Lowell African Festival. (watch Lowell African festival Video Recap here >>)

The unique ceremony will take place this Saturday, January 27th 2018 at the Lodge of Elks hall located at 40 Old Ferry Road in Lowell, approximately 35 miles north of Boston starting at 6pm to around midnight. FULL STORY HERE >>>

Saturday, January 27, 2018

JOHANNESBURG (AP) - Authorities in Tanzania plan an auction of 3.5 tons of hippo teeth next week, drawing criticism from conservation groups who say the sale could encourage increased killing of the vulnerable species for its body parts.

Licensed dealers on Monday can bid for the 12,500 pieces of hippo teeth at the tourism and natural resources ministry in the East African nation's commercial hub of Dar es Salaam, according to Tanzanian wildlife authorities. Buyers will receive documents confirming ownership.

Many hippo populations across Africa face intense pressure from hunting for their ivory and meat, the WWF conservation group said.

"Therefore, even though some countries still have healthy populations, WWF discourages the consumption of hippopotamus ivory and are disappointed to see auctions such as this taking place," said Colman O'Criodain, a WWF expert in wildlife trade.

Another conservation group, Born Free, said it was concerned there could be more demand for hippo ivory as efforts to end the trafficking of elephant ivory intensify.

China, long the world's largest consumer of elephant ivory, announced a ban on its trade that took effect at the beginning of this year.

An international "red list" of endangered species classifies the hippo as vulnerable and estimates there are up to 130,000 hippos in sub-Saharan Africa. Hippo teeth are carved into ornaments for sale in parts of Asia.

A regulated trade in hippo parts is allowed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES.

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) - President Donald Trump in a new letter to African leaders says he "deeply respects" the people of Africa and that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will make an "extended visit" to the continent in March, his first in that role.

The letter dated Thursday is addressed to African leaders as they gather for an African Union summit this weekend in Ethiopia's capital.

U.S. diplomats have scrambled for days to address shock and condemnation after Trump's reported comparison of African nations to a dirty toilet. Trump has said he didn't use such language, while others present say he did.

Many in Africa were taken aback by the comments after nearly a year of little attention by the Trump administration to the world's second most populous continent. Concerns have been widespread over proposed deep cuts to U.S. foreign aid and a shift from humanitarian assistance to counterterrorism.

Trump's letter, seen by The Associated Press and confirmed by two U.S. officials, says the U.S. "profoundly respects" the partnerships and values shared by the U.S. and Africans and that the president's commitment to strong relationships with African nations is "firm."

The letter offers Trump's "deepest compliments" to the African leaders as they gather for Sunday's summit of their 55-nation continental body. It also notes that U.S. soldiers are "fighting side by side" against extremism on the continent and that the U.S. is working to increase "free, fair and reciprocal trade" with African countries and partnering to "safeguard legal immigration."

The letter gives no details on Tillerson's upcoming visit. A State Department official said it was expected to include stops in four to six countries.

On Friday, Trump had a rare meeting with an African leader at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, calling Rwanda's president and new African Union chair Paul Kagame a "friend."

For his part, Kagame tweeted: "Had very good bilateral meeting with (at)realDonaldTrump!" The Rwandan government said Kagame had "observed that many of the world's fastest-growing economies are in Africa."

Neither side referred to Trump's vulgar comment.

But African leaders are expected to respond to Trump during Sunday's summit. The U.S. will be represented at the gathering by Ambassador Mary Beth Leonard, the U.S. envoy to the AU, instead of the traditional high-level Washington delegation.

An AU spokeswoman has said the organization was "frankly alarmed" by Trump's remark, and a number of African nations have spoken out or summoned U.S. diplomats for an explanation. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, however, countered by expressing his love for Trump and saying he should be praised for not mincing his words.

Dozens of former U.S. ambassadors to African countries wrote a letter to Trump expressing "deep concern" over his comments and asking him to reconsider.

The State Department's Bureau of African Affairs, in trying to calm things down, has tweeted that "the United States will continue to robustly, enthusiastically and forcefully engage" with African countries.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The U.N. is launching an investigation into attacks on peacekeepers in a part of Congo where the deadliest single assault on a U.N. peacekeeping mission in almost 25 years unfolded last month. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced Friday he's appointing longtime U.N. peacekeeping official Dmitry Titov to lead a special investigation into attacks around the town of Beni. The probe will focus on the Dec. 7 rebel attack that killed 15 peacekeepers and wounded over 40 others at a base near Beni. The dead were Tanzanian. The attack has been blamed on the Allied Democratic Forces, one of various armed groups in the mineral-rich region. The U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo is the world's largest. The investigation will evaluate its preparedness and response to attacks and provide recommendations on preventing them.

In December, at an emotional ceremony held to commemorate the dead, the prime minister, Kassim Majaliwa said Tanzanians want to know what exactly happened and ‘ legal actions taken against those involved’.

‘‘The government of Tanzania is calling on the UN to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation for the spilled blood of Tanzanian soldiers, in order to know and justice be attained. It is our hope that will be done within the shortest time.’‘

Illegitimate emails are being sent using the Treasurer’s name. They claim, “You have a donation from the former Massachusetts hospital worker, winner of the $758.7 million Powerball jackpot”. According to Treasurer Goldberg, these emails are a scam and have not been sent by her or the Massachusetts Office of the State Treasurer.

“It has come to our attention that emails using my name and likeness have been sent to residents across the state,” said Treasurer Deb Goldberg. “Our goal is to ensure that no Massachusetts citizen is taken advantage of as part of this scam.”

If you have any questions, please contact the Treasurer’s office at (617) 367-6900. Below is tan example of such message:

----Original Message-----
From: Deborah B. Goldberg >
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Sent: Thu, Jan 4, 2018 5:36 pm
Subject: YOU HAVE A DONATION FROM THE FORMER MASSACHUSETTS HOSPITAL
WORKER,
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--------------------------------------------------------------------
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About Me

I worked for Tanzania's Daily News for 11 years leaving as a Senior Reporter. I love acting, films, short story writing and cooking. I blog in English and Swahili. I am a member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and AFTRA.
You can contact me at chemiche3@yahoo.com.